Big shout to Anne for the photos and run report

On a beautiful, bright autumn afternoon, three eager Goodgymers arrived at Antrim Grove Allotments, each of them all set for their first ever mission. With nearly 30 plots, there was plenty work to get stuck into. Gathering up gloves, spades, forks, rakes and hoe provided, the team set forth.

While one strong volunteer set to work digging out stubborn shrub and tree roots from one plot, the other two (equally strong) volunteers teamed up to dig a trench large enough to bury a pile of old wood, before replacing the soil on top. This, they learned, is a century-old gardening and farmingtechnique from Germany called Hugelkultur.

After another quick history lesson about the site, (which used to be the garden of Elizabeth Garret Anderson, the suffragette physician who opened up the medical profession to women) the volunteer team set to work clearing weeds and unwanted plants from a third large plot in preparation for next season’s planting.

The two hours of steady, satisfying labour were rewarded with a selection of home-grown apples recently harvested from the allotments, which provided welcome refreshment and fuel for the run back home.